Department of Welfare halting co-pay plan

State Department of Public Welfare officials announced Friday that they are delaying a new co-payment initiative for families of children with mental and physical disabilities.

Starting Nov. 1 some families who receive coverage from the welfare department for children with mental and physical disabilities were slated to start a co-payment plan for services. In Somerset County there are 200 children receiving this benefit. Anne Bale, department spokeswoman, said she did not know how many families would have had to pay the co-payment. Statewide the department estimates about 80 percent of the 48,000 kids on the program qualify for the co-pay plan.

In a press release welfare department Secretary Gary D. Alexander said that once a decision is made on the initiative the affected families will be notified.

"The department has always preferred the option of applying a premium to this program and will be working with stakeholders who have come to us in support of a premium as opposed to the co-payment," he said in his statement. "Therefore, we have decided to delay the co-payment initiative, and families will not owe a co-payment for any services until further notice. Stakeholders have clearly indicated to the department an understanding of the need for families to contribute to this program. With the delay, there is an opportunity to work with stakeholders to continue to pursue the premium from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We look forward to working with them in achieving this shared goal."

Advertisement

The reason for the now-delayed change, Bale explained, was that it is the only welfare program that is not based on income. The only requirement is that they have a child with special needs. With the department's budget being cut the co-payment system was needed to help sustain the program. She said one in four families on the program make 100,000 a year.

"What we're finding is that many of the families are able to contribute a small co-pay," she said.

People who were making 200 percent over the federal poverty level would be asked to contribute. For a family of four, if their gross monthly income was $3,842 a month or higher, they would be required to pay the co-pay. The co-pay is based on 5 percent of the family's income.

If a family is bringing in $100,000 a year — their 5 percent is $5,000 — which is the grand total they are required to pay in a year. That number is divided up by the months in the year. For the family that makes $100,000 a year, their monthly cap would be around $417. If they reach that in a month they are no longer subject to a co-pay.

Becky Shuck of Berlin has a 7-year-old daughter with an autism diagnosis, environmental allergies and asthma. She was concerned about the co-pays and was having difficulty finding answers. It was not until Friday, before the announcement that the initiative was being delayed, that she found out that she would not be responsible for any co-pays. She knows of other families who will have to pay the co-pay.

"It was uncalled for," she said.

She was logged into a webinar Friday talking about the changes when the host stopped and announced that the initiative was being postponed. She said the webinar had more people than was expected.

Shuck said she believes the initiative was delayed because parents banded together and shared their frustrations.

"One person can make a difference and when parents stick together you can make an even bigger difference," she said.